The mere mention of the word “Antichrist” has captivated popular imagination for two thousand years. In our time it has occasioned books, movies and television shows galore. Yet, the Antichrist is not the invention of man or the germ of his fertile imagination. Its origins are purely Biblical. The Bible coined the word Antichrist and has initiated all true prophecies about it. The whole story of the Antichrist is revealed exclusively in the Holy Scriptures and there is no authentic source of knowledge about the Antichrist spirit, its system, its kingdom, or the man, other than the Bible. Early Church fathers like Paul, Peter, John, Irenaeus, Jerome and Augustine knew the Antichrist was coming and anticipated his domination of the world just before Christ’s return. Charlatans and false prophets like Nostradamus have tried to jump on the bandwagon, like they had something novel to offer, but there is nothing either unique or worthy about such so-called prophecies. They are nothing more than stupid smoke-screens thrown up by Satan to confuse and defame the true prophecies concerning the Antichrist. While commentaries on Revelation are helpful, the Bible must remain the one true source of Antichrist revelation. The Bible is the one place believers must turn to for their knowledge and understanding of what the book of Revelation calls “the Beast”. It is the hope of this writing that this will squelch some of the gross misconceptions about the Antichrist and direct the reader into the firm spiritual footing of Scripture. We should be able to do this if we keep a single eye focused on the Bible.

The Term – Antichrist
The name Antichrist has been used interchangeably by prophetic teachers since the second century AD to denote both Satan’s kingdom on earth and the man who leads it. The expression Antichrist, however, is used only four times in the Bible, all in I & II John. Simply put it defines the Antichrist as anyone who opposes Christ. In these references the Church is directly warned that the spirit of Antichrist is already active in the world, working its calumny and evil.

“Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that Antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time…” I John 2.18

“Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is Antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.”  I John 2.22

Though the title Antichrist may not be the best way to identify Satan’s system and his man of the end times, it is the one we are stuck with. The best scriptural choice would have been “The Beast”, the term used by the Bible’s two primary sources of Antichrist information, the books of Daniel and Revelation. Also, there are a variety of other terms employed by scripture to designate the Antichrist. The term “king of the north” is used in Daniel chapter eleven to name both the man and the kingdom. In Ezekiel the city-state of Tyrus serves as an allegory for the Antichrist state, “the prince of Tyrus” symbolizes the Antichrist himself, and the “king of Tyrus” is used to represent Satan. (Eze. 27&28) Daniel also calls the man the “vile person” and the “little horn”, while the kingdoms that make up the Antichrist are all called “beasts”. In I Thessalonians Paul calls him the “son of perdition”. And he is labeled the “evil one”, the “wicked one” and the “man of sin” in various other places in Scripture. But because of centuries of common usage, we will continue to use the moniker “Antichrist” even though “Beast” might be better.

Chapter thirteen of Revelation is one of a handful of primary places in the Bible that focus in on the Antichrist. There are two main characters in the chapter: the Antichrist and his cohort, the False Prophet. The predominant theme of the chapter, however, is the world’s worship and adoration of the Antichrist. In bringing about this worship, Satan, the Antichrist and the False Prophet attack the kingdom of God with all of Hell’s fury and power. Chapter thirteen brings to the fore Satan’s last-ditch effort to usurp God’s throne and win the worship of mankind. Out of the eighteen verses comprising chapter thirteen, there are four direct references to the worship of the Antichrist and a half dozen verses which show the machinations of Satan designed to coax the people into worshiping himself and the Beast. The fact that the worship of the Antichrist is the main point of chapter thirteen is often lost in the maze of rumor that normally precedes most discussions on the Antichrist. But this, the worship of Satan and His man, will be the central area of emphasis in our study of chapter thirteen.

Daniel First Saw The Beast
Prior to chapter thirteen the bulk of our Biblical knowledge about the Antichrist system and the man who rules it came from the book of Daniel and its prophecies in chapters 2, 7, 8, 9 and 11. Daniel is jam-packed with prophecies about the Antichrist – both, man and kingdom. We must draw on this information if we are to understand chapter thirteen fully.

Any mention of the Antichrist has been fleeting, thus far, in Revelation. He has appeared only briefly in two places, Revelation 6.2 and 11.7. The initial allusion comes when the first judgment seal is broken. He is seen riding a white horse, “going forth conquering and to conquer”. Though this is very significant because it establishes the Antichrist’s presence throughout the entire Tribulation period and tells us that he and his kingdom are the first of all the judgments unleashed on the earth, the prophecy does not go into much detail. The second mention from 11.7 adds to our knowledge because it speaks of his origin and supernatural power. It tells us that he (his power and spirit) comes from the bottomless pit. “And when they shall have finished their testimony [The Two Witnesses], the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.” All his powers and authority are hellish. He is given tremendous power, even the power, as we see in the above verse, to overcome and kill God’s Two Witnesses. But this is about all we know of him so far. Chapter thirteen will add extensively to our knowledge of this “son of perdition”. (John 17:12 & 2 Thess. 2:3)

Through the introductory verses of chapter thirteen, we see a startling portrait of the Beast from the bottomless pit.

“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
   And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.” Rev. 13.1-2

These two opening verses are extremely dramatic because they resurrect the awesome vision which God had given to Daniel 500 years earlier. The vision of the Antichrist was generally forgotten, discarded, or misunderstood until John recorded this second heavenly sighting of the Beast around the year 90 AD. John has been watching the conflict between the woman and the Dragon in heaven, then suddenly, alarmingly, he finds himself standing on a beach on earth looking out onto a menacing sea. As he gazes out he sees a chilling, terrifying sight. A beast, like none he or any other man (except Daniel) had ever seen before, rises up out of the water. The beast has seven heads and ten horns and names of blasphemy plastered all over it. John does not ask what this enormous monster represents and no angel offers a word to explain it. This is because the keys to understanding who and what this beast symbolizes are to be found in the ancient prophecies of Daniel (and in a later interpretation given to John by an angel in chapter seventeen of Revelation). It is probable that John, being familiar with Daniel’s writing,  even knew that this was the  Antichrist embodied in all its end-times evil and power.

The Ten Horns: The Final Kingdom
The ten horns are a tip-off that this beast must be the same beast that appeared to Daniel.

“After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.” Dan. 7.7

The ten horns and what they represent are very significant throughout Scriptural prophecies about the Antichrist. They represent a kingdom in their own right. But they are the kingdom which the Antichrist takes over, the foundation which provides him with the means of world domination. The master of the kingdom of the ten horns and the master of the Antichrist is Satan. This is why in chapter twelve the Dragon also appears with ten horns, but unlike the horns of the Antichrist, Satan’s horns have crowns. This indicates that Satan is not only the ruler of the Confederacy of the ten kings but he is the Antichrist’s leader as well.

As for the ten horns themselves, we are directly told what they stand for in both Daniel and Revelation seventeen. They represent ten leaders of ten nations who will form a confederacy in the last days which will create the power base for the Antichrist.

“And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.” Dan. 7.24

AND

“And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.” Rev. 17.12,13

A Reunified Roman Empire
The ten toes in the vision of the colossal statue of Daniel chapter two and the ten horns of the later visions of Daniel and Revelation are merely two ways of expressing the same thing. In the vision of Daniel two a stone from heaven, symbolizing Christ’s kingdom, crashes into the ten toes of the statue and brings down the entire Antichrist Kingdom, crushing it, and blowing its dust into oblivion. Since the Antichrist empire has not been crushed yet by Christ’s kingdom, and will not be until the end of the Tribulation, we can conclude that the Empire of that vision, which is the Roman Empire, has not ceased to exist in one form or another from that time until the present; and that it will not cease to exist until it is destroyed at the coming of Christ with ten thousands of His saints. (Jude 1:14; Rev. 19) We can further deduce that the ten kingdoms, as toes or horns, are an extension, even appendages, of the Roman Empire. Whether represented by the ten toes in chapter two, or the ten horns on top of the Antichrist beast’s head they should be considered as extensions of Rome. In that sense, it is the same kingdom with the same spirit and it has remained alive. (Dan. 2.34-35, Dan. 7, Rev. 13 and Rev. 17) Though both expressions, toes or horns, represent the continuing nature of the same Roman Empire, the two modes of expression relate different attributes of the same Roman beast. In the imagery of the ten toes, God establishes two immensely important prophetic truths about the history and inner makeup of the Antichrist empire. Like the toes, which are partly of iron and partly clay, the empire would be partly strong and partly weak being divided from within. (Dan. 2.41-42)

“And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
   And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
   And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.” Dan. 2:40-42

Anyone with only a nodding acquaintance of the history of Western Civilization can see the obvious fulfillment of this prophecy. Europe, with its ongoing pulsating spirit of Rome, has been divided and weakened since the days of the end of Roman Imperial majesty and yet “Rome” lives on. Its culture, government, philosophies, and ideals have reached into all continents and expanded everywhere through colonialism, imperialism, commerce, and finance. It is still the dominant force in the world today. Because of internal wars and occasional onslaught from outside forces like Islam, “Rome” has been kept in a weakened state and partially divided by God so it would not be able to overrun the world; and will stay that way – until the time of the end, that is.

But the ten toes do not simply indicate a division in the monolithic monster, it ultimately indicates unity. Most, if not all, commentators of Revelation and Daniel believe these ten horns and ten toes mean that the Roman Empire will be revived and reunified in the end. Verse two of chapter thirteen tells us that this Beast has the body of a bear, the feet of a leopard and the mouth of a lion. These are the same animals that God used to represent the kingdom of the “vile person” in Daniel chapter seven. You will recall that Daniel had seen the four great Antichrist kingdoms one by one as they morphed into the Antichrist kingdom of the end. Babylon, the first kingdom, was represented by a lion, the second was Persia, likened to a bear, and the third was Greece, symbolized by a leopard. All three of these rose up, ruled the world, and gave way to the next until they finally evolved into the Roman Empire which was symbolized by a “dreadful and terrible beast” with iron teeth, and ten horns. This final empire is the oppressive empire pictured in Daniel that devours the world and stamps the residue under its feet. This is the ruthlessness of the oppressive governments that have dominated Europe, Western Civilization, and the world through colonialism, slavery and war for 2500 years. It is the ten horns and their connection with the Roman Empire that has convinced prophetic scholars that the kingdom of the ten horns will mean some kind of European reunion.

The history of Europe since the birth of Christ has proven this prophecy to be true. The Roman Empire has continued in one form or another, sometimes as the Holy Roman Empire, sometimes as the Papacy, but it has always been weakened by divisions from within because of the petty jealousies or personal ambition of its monarchs or because of regional, religious or nationalistic pride. But now, through a series of supernatural miracles, this division is more than just beginning to fade. The European Community is already a reality. Old hatreds and fears are dissolving away like peace treaties used to be ignored in Europe. How long can it be until a cartel of ten nations forms out of these former nations of Roman heritage and tradition? Most prophetic students zero in on Europe, but we must also consider that the ten kings may not be limited to ruling over single nations. The prophecy talks of ten kingdoms. It could be that one king might be the leader of an organization like NAFTA, The North American Free Trade Association, comprising Canada, the United States, and Mexico. There could be one or two leaders representing a group or groups from Africa or South America. The Commonwealth of Great Britain, including Australia, could be another “kingdom” represented by one of the ten “kings”. Though it has been common in the second half of the twentieth century to look at the fulfillment of the ten kings prophecy as being ten nations in Europe, it could be much broader than that. Great Britain has a Roman heritage, North and South America, with their roots in European civilization, religion, and culture, could be considered “grandchildren” of Rome. Northern Africa was not only a part of the Roman Empire but a stronghold of commercial and intellectual activity for the Empire for better than five centuries. It must be considered, therefore, that the empire of the ten kings could include ten kingdoms but many nations. In this way, the Antichrist’s Empire at the end will very nearly, if not entirely (excluding the Far East and maybe Russia) comprise all the nations of the world.

Once the ten kings form their union things will be firmly in place for the Antichrist to establish the eighth kingdom, which Revelation seventeen tells us is merely an extension of the seventh kingdom, but instead of having some form of democratic-republic or parliamentary government, the Antichrist’s government will be an absolute dictatorship. (Rev.17.11) But Daniel hints that the Antichrist’s rise to power will not be without intrigue and conflict. It is very likely that the Antichrist will be a subtle and relatively uncelebrated, if not obscure, political figure when he is given the role as leader of the Confederacy. The landscape of history is littered with examples of Antichrist types. Alexander the Great was only 19 years-old when he ascended to his murdered father’s throne. Napoleon was an insignificant artillery lieutenant before his meteoric rise to Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Hitler’s highest rank was as a corporal in the German infantry during World War I. Scripture – and history – lead us to expect that the Antichrist will “sneak up” on the world. The ten kingdoms of the end will first form their own union. But they will be at loggerheads to select a leader or president. Then a certain leader will come up with a scheme that will be acceptable to all ten leaders. They will give over their power and authority to one man to serve as a figurehead.

“And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.”  Dan.11.21

They will have no idea that this man is Satan’s anointed one. In Daniel, we are told that he will win the power of the kingdom by flatteries. That probably means he will sweet talk his way into the job and none of the ten leaders will see him as a threat to their authority and sovereignty. But Daniel tells us that three of the kings have second thoughts about abdicating their authority to him.

“I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.” Dan. 7.8

Along with two other “kings”, the leader of the league is caught unawares by the Antichrist’s talents and craftiness. At first, the Antichrist seemed like someone they could manipulate, but soon after making him the head of their new confederacy, the main organizer or “prince of the covenant”, as Daniel calls him, tries to bring down the Antichrist’s government. The Antichrist acts swiftly. It is likely this dissenter will be defeated in some quick military strike that causes the world to marvel at the Antichrist’s decisiveness and brilliance. The rebellion is quelled; even the head of the league is made to submit, and all ten nations fall into line.

“And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant.” Dan. 11.22

Soon the Antichrist becomes a world-class figure. He begins to weave his political magic. He becomes immensely popular, especially with a small group, or nation, of people. Now there will be no stopping him.

“And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.” Dan. 11.23

This may well take place before the beginning of the Tribulation. Remember, the Tribulation does not begin until the Antichrist signs the “covenant” with many nations. It is not until this peace pact with Israel, which includes the re-establishment of the Mosaic sacrifices, that the last week of Daniel’s 70-week prophecy begins. This means that the Antichrist may be revealed to those with scriptural knowledge well in advance of the Tribulation, and perhaps even before the Rapture. It could explain the words of Paul in II Thessalonians when he wrote,

“That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
   Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition”  II Thess. 2-3

They Worshiped The Beast
Regardless of when the Antichrist is revealed, verses three and four make it clear that the world is fully primed to worship the Beast by the time the Tribulation gets into full swing. Satan begins a series of maneuvers and a show of power to lure the entire earth into this evil worship of him and his “son”.

“And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
    And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?” Rev. 13.3-4

Everyone likes to gripe about politicians and the government. The subject of the Antichrist is a great springboard for airing social discontent. Christian books about the coming new world order and the rise of big brother politics often contribute to the misunderstanding of the Antichrist. Dire warnings about financial doom and how to divorce ourselves from the “Antichrist conspiracy” take priority in discussions and teachings. Disclosures about the coming “big brother” system, supported by Scripture or not, take up most chapters in contemporary books on Revelation. The rumor mill overflows with warnings about sinister organizations like The “Illuminati”, “The Club of Rome”, “The Tri-lateralist Commission”, The Treasury Department and a host of others. While these groups and the worldwide ecumenical movement are at work building up to the Antichrist system the conclusions and warnings we are given are often unwise, carnal advice. The truth is that the world will worship the Beast willingly, not ignorantly. The book of Revelation says that“all the world wondered after the beast”, and “all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb…”. We must not get sucked into fighting the inevitable rise of the Antichrist and his system. Rather, we must stay sure that we are not choked by the cares of this world, either by fighting political battles or protecting traditions that must nevertheless fade away, no matter how righteous or gleaming they appear. Most Christians, even for all of the warnings in Scripture, will be caught off guard because this man, as his predecessors did, will come as an “angel of light”. He will be brilliant. He will have a velvet tongue and an invincible sword. He will voice the most wonderful slogans and offer hope to every class of people. He will have religious remedies for every spiritual ailment. (Religion will be one of his allies because he has one objective in mind – worship; total and unrestrained worship for himself and his master by mankind.) He will have a ready solution for every world problem. He will fulfill the prophecy spoken by Jesus when the Lord said, “I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.” The Antichrist will look like, talk like, act like and claim to be the “Messiah”, the savior of all mankind and the world.

Satan begins his campaign for worship right away. The Beast is dealt a mortal wound to the head and the Devil raises him from the dead. This “miracle of miracles” causes the world to believe that the Antichrist is the one true God. For Satan, this is what the Tribulation battle is all about. This is what the battle of the ages has always been about. This is the moment of time he has waited for. He wants the worship and adoration which is due the Father and the Lamb only. But nothing else will do; Satan is a robber and this is the greatest possession of God that Satan wants. This false resurrection is the put-up job of all put-up jobs. It is the scam of all scams. Arthur Bloomfield and Gordon Lindsay point out that during the Tribulation Satan needs a body to do his evil work. It is at this moment that Satan enters the Antichrist. Satan and the Antichrist are now one. This is Satan’s counterfeit of God and the Son being one.

All-out Assault on God and His Kingdom

“And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
  And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.” Rev. 13.5-6

Satan hopes to manipulate the adoration of all mankind by engineering this pseudo-resurrection. At the crucifixion there were those devil’s disciples who mocked Jesus, saying, “if you truly be the Son of God come down off the cross and save yourself.” They laughed at Christ with jeering voices, “He could save others but himself he cannot save.” Now the world will have a Messiah that is able to save himself. He will come to life again and promise to save the world. He will say every manner of evil thing against God. He will mock Jesus and call him a traitor to mankind. We know he will say the worst kinds of blasphemy. He will probably chide Christians for believing in a Jesus who went away and did not care about suffering people. He will claim to have risen from the dead and willing to stay in this world for the sake of straightening it out right away. He will begin the most vicious campaign ever devised against God and everything that is holy. Daniel says he will change the times and laws.

“And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.” Dan. 7.25

Changing laws and times has religious overtones to it. To the Jew, this meant the law of Moses and the prescribed feasts in the law. This implies that the Antichrist will turn black into white, and make that which is holy profane and that which is profane a holy thing. He will dare to set up his own holy days and religious rituals and standards. He will shake his fist at God and challenge Him to a final duel. His bravado and swagger will make the rebellious world confident to follow him and resist the Christian God. His defiance of God will know no bounds. Those who continue to follow Jesus Christ will be maligned, persecuted and tracked down like animals for execution.

“And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
   And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Rev. 13.7-8

In the first half of the book of Revelation that the saints are martyred for keeping the word and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Both Daniel and Revelation declare that the Antichrist will have power over the saints in order to purify and purge the Tribulation Church. These are the saints that were unable to hear the call of the spirit when times were not so difficult. They were not able to believe in Jesus when they could not see him and all of the spiritual realities that are declared in the Bible. These are the doubting Thomases. They now have been forced to die for Jesus or live with the prospect of eternal damnation.

All those who are not followers of Jesus will worship the Beast. It seems petty to the world but it is true: in God’s eyes, it is about choosing sides. Joshua preached it to Israel – “Choose ye this day whom ye will serve… as for me and my house we shall serve the Lord!” Jesus said, “He who is not for me is against me.”  Christians feel condemned at times when this is rejected by faithless people or Christians who like to sit on the fence, one foot in the world and one foot in Christ. But the simple truth is that we must choose sides. At no time in history will this be more evident than during the Tribulation. Either a person will take the Mark of the Beast and worship Satan and his man, or they will refuse the mark, stay steadfast to Jesus Christ’s name and accept martyrdom. There will be no form of salvation for Jew or Gentile, except dying for Jesus, the Lamb who was slain to give us eternal life and pardon of sin. But the greatest part of humanity will worship the Beast. Because the world will follow the Antichrist and reject Jesus, the spirit speaks this refrain after telling us of the Antichrist’s power to get people to worship him. The plea that is written in the letters to the seven churches in chapters two and three of Revelation is once again voiced by the spirit. “If any man have an ear, let him hear.” Rev.13.9

The Tribulation saints are then given this somber warning.

“He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.” Rev.13.10

There is to be no retaliation by the saints of God. God has declared this as the patience and the faith of the saints. They will have to submit to the slaughter. As it is written in the Psalms:

“Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.”  Ps. 44.22

From under the altar in chapter six, we have already seen the Tribulation saints who were being martyred.

“And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
    And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on
the earth?
    And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.” Rev. 6:9-11

The tone of this passage indicates the saints will not take revenge for their blood but must wait on the Lord to do it. They cry out to God saying,“how long must we wait? How long do we have to be as sheep led to the slaughter before we are avenged and vindicated?” “Until the number of those who are to be saved is full”, is the reply. They must be patient and accept their fate and then they shall receive their crowns of life.

New Information: An Unholy Trinity

“And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.” Rev. 13.11

Now we see even further into Satan’s true purposes. It is no longer a mystery. The true aim of the Antichrist and his system is worship. Keeping with the purpose of the topical chapters, God is about to add totally new information to our knowledge and understanding of this man who Daniel says, “understands dark sentences” (Dan. 8.23). A basic tenet is that the topical chapters, 12-19, all add new information to the outline of Tribulation events which are given in chapters 4-11. This is never truer than in chapter thirteen. An entirely new character is even introduced, never before seen, and only hinted at in previous Scripture. This villainous person is the False Prophet, looking like a Lamb but actually having two horns and speaking like a dragon. He is the third member of a wicked triumvirate made up of: the Dragon, the Beast and the Two-Horned Lamb. This is Satan’s counterpart to the true Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Chapter thirteen reveals an unholy trinity. Arthur Bloomfield in his book All Things New, describes their relationship like this,

The dragon and the two beasts are a trinity of evil, one in spirit and purpose, and there is no reason for separating them in our thinking. Satan will counterfeit the Trinity. There will be three personalities in one satanic head. They are Antichrist. Even the people recognize this when they worship both the beast and the dragon.

We shall see that this unholy trinity will launch an all-out assault on God’s name and His kingdom including heaven’s inhabitants and the saints of Christ. This war will be waged with every means at Satan’s disposal. Its design is to gain the full worship and adoration of the world. God will allow the False Prophet to do the most amazing miracles, ones that rival those of Jesus and the Two Witnesses.

“And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
    And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
    And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
    And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
    And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
    And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”  Rev.13.12-17

This is the incredible ministry of the False Prophet. His mission is to give credence to the worship of the Antichrist. That is his sole purpose on earth. It is a perfect counterfeit of the ministry of the Holy Ghost which works to give glory to Jesus Christ. He can call down fire, just as The Two Witnesses can. He draws attention to the resurrection of the Beast by doing miracles and curing people of disease. They will likely seem very humanitarian acts of love and charity. These will be held in contrast to the current state of affairs and the judgments which are causing death and misery throughout the earth. All the miracles will be performed in the presence of the Antichrist and they can only be done when the Antichrist is present. These two will deceive the whole earth, we are told.

We find out in these verses that the Abomination of Desolation is, at least partly, an image of the Antichrist that actually comes alive and is able to speak. This evil priest and religious leader, this False Prophet, is the one who initiates the creation of this abominable image. We even find out that it is the False Prophet who makes people take the mark of the Beast as a sign of worship and allegiance to him. This is the final fruit of false religion. The goal of the Whore of Babylon has been to do this from the very beginning. The False Prophet is the one who pulls it off in the name of the Antichrist. The False Prophet is an enormously important figure during the Tribulation and often overlooked in prophetic movies and studies. He is the religious force, the one who leads the world into worship and adoration of the Antichrist. Ministers, bishops, and Christian leaders don’t like talking about the False Prophet and the part that religion will play in the conspiracy of the end times. It often hits too close to home; professional caution teaches them not to criticize their own too loudly; it could be a reflection on their own conduct. But the False Prophet will be a leader of religion, a man of great “love and power in the spirit” – a great deceiver. He will probably be a religious leader like the Pope or a worldwide evangelist. It will most likely be the Pope since it is that office that is the acknowledged monarch of one billion religious people, is the recognized counselor and adviser of world rulers, and has built a reputation for “love” over the last fifty years.

The Number 666

“Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”  Rev.13.18

There are countless theories and stories about the Antichrist that cloud our spiritual vision and draw people away from the important points of Scriptural truth. Put the numbers 666 on the cover of a book or in the title of a film and you have a perfect vehicle to satisfy the public’s thirst for supernatural hocus-pocus and farfetched horror stories. It has become such a big money maker that the content about the Antichrist is unimportant just as long as it fills the public trough with scraps of tabloid sensationalism. Truth has very little to do with the message. Unfortunately, the public, including Christians, often come away with a completely distorted idea of the Antichrist. How many people wrongly believe that the Antichrist will appear as a horned devil, born to some Satanic mistress, as in the movies Rose Mary’s Baby and Omen. How many still suppose that this man will be easy to detect, a Doctor Faustus who goes public with the fact that he has sold his soul to the Devil? Many naive Christians still think that when this “son of the devil” arrives on the world political scene he will be a raving lunatic, the spitting image of Adolf Hitler, with his eyes full of madness and his veins bulging with fury. It is assumed that the Antichrist will be detectable by his loathsome appearance and demented tirades, whose system will be an odious tyrannical regime that will instantly enslave an unwilling world. They forget all too quickly that history has taught us that the archetypes of the Antichrist have always wooed the world into an illicit love affair with humanism by their charm and charisma. Each forerunner of the Antichrist has been the object of hero-worship. They always championed the popular cause. They pitched slogans promising liberty, unity and utopia. Alexander the Great promised a “brotherhood of man”; Julius Caesar promised the Pax Romana and an end to civil unrest; Napoleon marched through Europe carrying the banner, “Fraternity, Equality and Liberty”; and Hitler, only recognized after the fact for the monster he actually was, offered a new world order to millions of bitter and disenfranchised Germans. Each one became a legend in his own time. Each one became an icon. Each one a tyrant and demigod – a deity to be worshiped.

The reference to the name of the Antichrist at the end of chapter thirteen equating it with the number 666 has solicited countless suggestions and predictions about who this “son of perdition” might be. Men with birthmarks on their foreheads, or whose name can be made to add up to 666, or whose birth date or address can add up to the number, have been imagined to be the Antichrist. Again, Scripture should be the Christian’s one and only source of knowledge about the Antichrist and his world-wide system. When the Antichrist comes there will be many ways to know him. He will sign the peace accord with Israel and many countries. This heralds the start of the Tribulation. But before that, discerning Christians may be able to recognize him because he is the head of the ten “kingdom” confederacy. They may also be able to recognize him because of some connection,  not yet revealed, to the number  666. Let the wise virgins be vigilant and watching! ✞

Taken from the book Revelation Pure & Simple by Terry Myers Smith